Family Vacation: Foxwoods

It’s rare that my sisters and I are all at home together under one roof. Jessy Bear has now graduated from college and is always off doing this or that, and Lizzy is teaching down in Cape Cod. As Maine is quite a hike from Amsterdam, my time at the ‘rents is also quite limited.

However, this Christmas our at home-time overlapped for one whole week, so my parents decided to arrange a little mini family vacation. B and I didn’t want our inception vacation (trip within a trip) to be too intense, so Mum and Dad planned accordingly and booked a low key weekend down in Mystic Connecticut.

Mystic is a cute New England seaport town, with beautiful colonial architecture and damn good pizza. Shortly after we arrived, Mystic was hit with a snowy blizzard. We watched the snow swirl down and pile on top of the glass roof above our jacuzzi. Warm and toasty inside, we debated venturing out, and in the end our taste for adventure got the best of us. We piled into our cars, geared up into four-wheel drive, and set off for Foxwoods.

Foxwoods is one of the biggest casino complexes in the world. It’s like a massive indoor shopping mall, but instead of the Gap, Victoria’s Secret, and Macy’s, there are bingo halls, endless slot, and high stake tables.

Although I’m not really into gambling, I was awestruck with the glossy facilities and the large scale of entertainment options. There are comedians, bowling alleys, rock shows, arcades, high end luxury shops, clubs, restaurants, and of course miles and miles of gaming, betting, and slots.

There’s really something for everyone at Foxwoods, even if you’re not into gambling.

We ate dinner at the Festival Buffet, and then my mom and Jess hit the slots. My dad, Lizzy and her beau, B, and myself decided to walk around and check out the attractions. I fell in love with this sweater. And met a little sheep.

We strolled past massive statues, exhibitions, and endless rooms of people trying their luck for the jackpot.

MGM Grand is a fairly new extension of Foxwoods, and was super glam. Even the Dunkin’ Donuts there was high end looking.

Outside the storm had slowed, but inside the gaming continued. Perhaps the biggest gambling-shocker was the rows and rows of people playing bingo!

After a few hours of strolling, we bet against the weather and headed back to the hotel. Night one of family vacation was ace!